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Welcome... Our InnerSelf welcomes your inner self.
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Life can be challenging... And as much as we try to control it and make sure everything is nice and safe and predictable, along comes the proverbial curveball when life's events curve off into a direction we didn't expect.
Most of us have had experiences of life's curveballs, either through disease, the death of a loved one, not getting the job or promotion that we were certain was coming, a child or spouse behaving in ways that we just don't understand, etc. Of course, the experience of life changing in an instant has come to the forefront of our consciousness due to the apparition of the coronavirus in our day-to-day reality.
Curveballs are just a part of life, whether we like it or not. However, while we can't avoid the challenges, we do have a choice as to how to deal with them or how to respond. So this week, we start off our introspection into this topic with Jason Redman who offers ways to "Adapt to the Unexpected with the Overcome Mind-Set". Jason shares some of his experiences and insights as a Navy SEAL team member facing the unexpected.
Children also come face to face with unexpected challenges... whether their parents' divorce, a bully on the schoolyard, illness in the family, or something they saw on TV or overheard adults discuss. Children also need tools to deal with the stress and trauma they have experienced, and Carmen Viktoria Gamper introduces us to "The Healing Power of Imaginative Play".
Alan Cohen reminds us that these challenges are, as Stuart Wilde used to say, "another friggin' growth experience". Alan writes about a fellow named Joe who used his life's experiences as a stepping-stone into his spiritual path, in "From Dirt to Soil: Life's Manure Makes For Excellent Growth Potential". Yes, the stressful experiences we encounter are usually a "life lesson" or they include a life lesson or change of direction for our own benefit, no matter what the situation.
Tina Gilbertson writes about "Increasing Healthy Assertiveness and Practicing Assertive Communication". This is part of the balancing act we learn as adults... expressing ourselves honestly throughout our daily stresses, while remaining respectful of others. Lawrence Doochin expands on this theme in "Reducing the Influence of the Ego... For Our Highest Good".
As we all know, life will hand us lemons along with sunshine and roses. Just as roses have thorns, sunshine is often followed by rain, and lemons, while sour, can be used to make lemonade or lemon meringue pie. Every experience has two facets, the light and the shadow, the up and the down, the inner and the outer. Every experience, however challenging, comes with a gift. It is sometimes hard to detect what the gift is when first encountering the problem, but it does help to look for it, even in the midst of chaos and confusion.
One current example is, of course, the benefits that people are experiencing from the Covid-19 challenge. Such as: more time at home with their children, less pollution in the air, less time spent commuting, less need for "keeping up with the Joneses", and there are many more, some maybe particular just to you and your situation. There is always a gift in the unexpected. Yes, there is a challenge, there is a lesson, and the key is to choose our attitude and our actions so that they help us rise out of the muck, rather than descend further into it.
Another article this week which sheds light on this, while it is an "oldie but goody" article, is Ray Grasse's "Transitioning from the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius". This article sheds light on this era we are traversing and since knowledge is power (or it can be), knowing what we are in the midst of can empower us in how to traverse these challenging times.
Most of the aforementioned articles have a video, as well as an audio, version to make your InnerSelf experience an even better one.
Please scroll down for the featured articles in this new issue of InnerSelf, and also the recap of all the articles that were added to the website during the week.
Wishing you enjoyable insightful reading, and of course a wonder-full, joy-full, health-full, and loving week.
Marie T. Russell
editor/publisher,
InnerSelf.com
"New Attitudes...New Possibilities"
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NEW ARTICLES THIS WEEK
***** articles and videos added daily *****
The featured articles are available in audio as well as video format.
Go to each article for the links.
Adapt to the Unexpected with the Overcome Mind-Set
Written by Jason Redman.
Guess what? Life is unfair, and combat is unequivocally unfair. Crazy things happen in combat that you don’t expect and can’t plan for. A bomb could blow up, killing everyone around you, while you escape without a scratch. The best soldier in a platoon could be wounded in action, while the worst goes unscathed. There’s no rhyme or reason.
The Healing Power of Imaginative Play
Written by Carmen Viktoria Gamper
Just as adults benefit from talking about their challenges with friends or a therapist, many children benefit from processing upsetting experiences during pretend play. Perhaps you’ve noticed that when children freely play with blocks, stuffed animals, dolls or action figures, they frequently create pretend worlds. They craft exciting tales that...
From Dirt to Soil: Life's Manure Makes For Excellent Growth Potential
Written by Alan Cohen
If you or I had met Joe during his risqué comedy stint, we might have judged him as a crude or sordid character. Yet we would have had no idea that this phase was not an end in itself, but a preparatory step for...
Increasing Healthy Assertiveness and Practicing Assertive Communication
Written by Tina Gilbertson.
Each of us has thoughts, feelings, opinions, preferences, and needs that won’t necessarily jibe with those of important others. Sometimes there will be inevitable conflicts to navigate. The presence of conflict doesn’t mean a relationship has...
Reducing the Influence of the Ego... For Our Highest Good
Written by Lawrence Doochin
We each have a choice, and let's be clear what that choice is. Martin Luther King Jr. told us that "Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness."
Transitioning from the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius
Written by Ray Grasse
The Age of Aries brought an awakening of the outwardly directed ego, but the more feminine Piscean Age brought about a newfound sense of interiority or inwardness. In religious terms, this was most evident in the emerging Christian emphasis on moral reflectivity, or conscience, the flip side of which was the emergence of a new mood of guilt throughout Western society.
How Reactivating Traumatic Memories Could Reduce Their Impact
by Caitlin Clark, Texas AM
Researchers could be a step closer to finding a way to reduce the impact of traumatic memories, according to a new…
Climate Labels Might Get You To Buy Different Meat
by Maria Hornbek, University of -Copenhagen
Climate-labeling clearly affects consumers—both those people who are keen to be aware of the climate impact, as well as…
Viking DNA and The Pitfalls of Genetic Ancestry Tests
by Anna Källén, Stockholm University and Daniel Strand, Uppsala University
According to recent estimates, over 26 million people from across the world have purchased a genetic ancestry test. In…
At What Age Are People Usually Happiest? New Research Offers Surprising Clues
by Clare Mehta, Emmanuel College
If you could be one age for the rest of your life, what would it be? Would you choose to be nine years old, absolved of…
3 Ways Music Educators Can Help Students With Autism Develop Their Emotions
by Dawn R. Mitchell White, University of South Florida
Many children with autism struggle to find the words to express how they feel. But when it comes to music, it’s an…
Anxious About Going Out Into The World? You're Not Alone, But There's Help
by Claudia Finkelstein, Michigan State University
It’s the moment we thought we were all waiting for…or is it? We were cautiously optimistic about the end of the…
We all seek permanent happiness. No one has, as his long-term goal, a happiness that is evanescent. More than anything…
Why Sustainability Rankings Don't Always Identify Sustainable Companies
by Rumina Dhalla and Felix Arndt, University of Guelph
As consumers and investors, we often look at environmental, social and governance (ESG) rankings to guide our purchase,…
Here's How To Help Your Kids Transition Back To Being With Others
by Dominique A. Phillips and Jill Ehrenreich-May, University of Miami
Pilar had remained in virtual schooling throughout the pandemic as a first and then second grader. As things began to…
How To Stop Psychopaths and Narcissists From Winning Positions of Power
by Steve Taylor, Leeds Beckett University
In the past, this was mostly due to hereditary systems which assigned power to kings and lords and others, who often…
How Children Are Taking European States To Court Over The Climate Crisis – And Changing The Law
by Aoife Daly, University College Cork et al
Even before Greta Thunberg launched her school strike for climate at age 15, youth activists have been key players in…
Lockdown Mental Fatigue Rapidly Reversed By Social Contact
by Dr Christopher Hand, Glasgow Caledonian University; et al.
Many of us are looking forward to a summer of relative freedom, with road-mapped milestones that will grant us more…
Scientists Invent Home COVID-19 Test Using Coffee Machine Capsules
by Mark Lorch, University of Hull
Ideally, we need a home test that’s as easy to use as the LFTs but as sensitive as the PCR test. An excellent candidate…
How Gratitude For Nature Can Rein In Your Existential Angst About Climate Change
by Barbara Jane Davy, University of Waterloo
We’re all going to die. This is the repeated warning about climate change in some media: if we don’t change our ways we…
Handshakes and Hugs Are Good For You – It's Vital They Make A Comeback After The Pandemic
by Simon Nicholas Williams and Kimberly Dienes, Swansea University
When was the last time you shook someone’s hand, or kissed them on the cheek to say hello? The pandemic has put a stop…
Unwanted Weight Gain or Weight Loss? Blame Your Stress Hormones
by Lina Begdache, Binghamton University, State University of New York
If you have experienced unwanted weight gain or weight loss during the pandemic, you are not alone. According to a poll…
CBD, Marijuana and Hemp: What Is The Difference, and Which Are Legal?
by Brandon McFadden, University of Delaware and Trey Malone, Michigan State University
While 67% of U.S. adults support marijuana legalization, public knowledge about cannabis is low. A third of Americans…
How To Cope With Pandemic Fatigue by Imagining Metaphors
by Luciara Nardon and Amrita Hari, Carleton University
The World Health Organization has been drawing attention to pandemic fatigue, a natural response to a prolonged public…
6 Ways To Teach Kindergarten Kids To Deal With Stress, Whether Learning Online or At School
by Niluja Muralitharan, Brock University
With some kindergarten children now participating in online learning, questions persist about how they will learn the…
Toxic Boss At Work? Here Are Some Tips For Coping
by Vicki Webster and Paula Brough, Griffith University
A recent study into the impact of systemic toxic behaviours exhibited by managers found that even one or two toxic…
Too Much Sitting Is Bad For You — But Some Types Are Better Than Others
by Wuyou Sui, University of Victoria and Harry Prapavessis, Western University
One old behaviour that has persisted, and has arguably been amplified due to COVID-19, is sitting — and it is not…
Closing Schools Every Time There's A COVID Outbreak? Our Traffic Light System Shows What To Do Instead
by Fiona Russell, The University of Melbourne, et al.
We need to learn to live with COVID-19 as we continue efforts to vaccinate. Closing daycare centres and schools has a…
After A Year of Digital Learning and Virtual Teaching, Let's Hear It For The Joy of Real Books
by Kathryn MacCallum, University of Canterbury
A recent survey from the UK, for example, showed children were spending 34.5% more time reading than they were before…
Astrological Journal for the Week
Written by Pam Younghans
This weekly column (updated every Sunday afternoon) is based on planetary influences, and offers perspectives and insights to assist you in making the best use of current energies... Read this week's journal here
It is also highly beneficial to reread the past week's astrological journal as it gives a hindsight view of the events that took place and may provide many "ah-ha" insights.
OLDIES & GOODIES:
How We Limit Our Abundance, Truth, Love, and Energy
by José Stevens, Ph.D.
Transitioning from the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius
by Ray Grasse
Attaining The Hidden Treasure: Infinite Joy and Happiness
by J. Donald Walters
Is It Luck, Coincidence, Synchronicity, or Just Life?
by Marie T. Russell
Enlightenment Is Not a Goal -- It Is A Great Acceptance
by Osho
The Dance of Divorce: Important Ingredients in Healing from Divorce
by Richard Carlson, Ph.D.
Psychological vs. Predictive Astrology -- Joining the Two into One
by Glenn Perry, Ph.D.
Seeking to Understand and Cope with Life is Everyday Sacredness
by Joseph R. Simonetta
Herbal Gardening: Hints on Mints
by George Van Patten
How To Live From Your Heart: Three Loving Techniques
by Caroline Sutherland
Sex in Ancient Cultures and in the Modern World
by Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki
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